9 Advantages of da Vinci Robotic Surgery
Da Vinci robotic surgery is just one of the advanced technologies Covenant HealthCare takes advantage of to improve patient care. Though we call it “robotic surgery,” the technical term is really “robotic-assisted” surgery. The da Vinci robot is controlled at all times by a surgeon at a console a few feet away; the robot replicates the surgeon’s motions. Da Vinci surgery is a form of minimally invasive surgery, meaning very small incisions are made to perform procedures (laparoscopy is another type of minimally invasive surgery).
Unlike robots on TV, a da Vinci robot can’t talk or clean your house or warn you of intruders. But when used by a skilled surgeon trained in da Vinci procedures, it can provide several advantages over traditional surgical methods.
Advantages for the surgeon
- The da Vinci robot allows a greater range of motion than is possible in laparoscopic surgery. The surgical instruments can bend and rotate further than a human wrist (to get an idea of the intricate movements the robot can perform, watch this video of a surgeon using the da Vinci robot to peel a grape).
- The high-definition, magnified 3D image displayed by the da Vinci system gives the surgeon a better view of the surgical area, even allowing them to see things that might not be visible to the naked eye.
- The da Vinci system can provide greater surgical precision than traditional surgery.
Advantages for the patient
Each patient and procedure are different, but in general, da Vinci patients can benefit from:
- Shorter hospital stays and faster recovery time
- Reduced risk of infection
- Less blood loss (meaning fewer transfusions)
- Less scarring
- Less pain
- Faster return to normal activity
While advances in robotic surgical technology are exciting, da Vinci surgery is not for every patient or procedure. The areas in which da Vinci is most commonly used at Covenant include gynecologic, thoracic and urologic surgery, as well as some general procedures (such as gall bladder surgery). Da Vinci surgery has been used safely in thousands of procedures at Covenant, but as with all surgery, there are risks. You can learn more about the safety of da Vinci at http://www.davincisurgery.com/.
Covenant now has three da Vinci robots and 29 surgeons highly trained and experienced in using the system.
Posted Date: 4/2/2018